The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[MusicalMomma]

Hello to all my medifast friends!!! I need a little help here. I am retaining water BIG time! I've never been a big water retention kind of gal (or maybe I just never really noticed it) but I feel like I am drowning in water retention and TOM is a little late AND I'm zitty and my "you know what's" hurt. Before you ask, no I can't be pregnant cuz my tubes are tied and burned baby!! hehe I am drinking TONS of extra water to try to flush it out, but it's not budging. I have not increased salt intake. I know it's "female" related. Please help!! Is it OK to take a dieretic? I need relief!!!! Heeeeelllllppppp!!!!

[falisamarie]

Joyce

Welcome to my world!!!! I know that when I am retaining water and it won't budge no matter what I take a diuretic but mine are prescribed to me by my Dr so I am not sure of over the counter diuretics. I do know that asparagus acts as a natural diuretic so if you like that maybe you could try some. If you do try the diuretic path and you wake up with a slight headache just chug some water and the headache should go away.

Your water retainin friend

Lisa

[MusicalMomma]

Thanks Lisa!

Does ANYONE know if it's OK to try an OTC dieretic and if they even work?

[Jan]

Hi There,
When I got off the plane after our Disneyland extravaganza, I looked like a puffer fish. Hmmmm and was up 10 pounds on old nasty (the scale)
A friend suggested asparagus and so I dined on it for about 4 days and drank lots of lots of plain old water. The puff went down and so did the weight.
I know you know the cause of all that puffiness. Good old hormones. Remember when you burn fat, all the hormones stored in it are released into your body. That could be part of your problem. That's another reason why we say "drink drink drink water" It helps flush this out.
Don't worry soon it will be gone.
jan

[Nancy]

MusicalMomma ~

Oh, I am sorry about that - Jan's right about 'us' being puffer fish upon our return from Mouseland - when I fly, my legs fluff.

I have a Rx diuretic I take occasionally, have never taken an OTC diuretic and am inclined to go the natural route first. Asparagus sounds like a tastier choice than I can offer - when I didn't have a prescription diuretic, parsley tea worked for me - it tastses super gross but it took the bloat-float away for me. I just put some fresh parsley in a mug, pour fresh boiling water over the parsley and let it steep for a bit. Maybe eating a handful of the green wonder in a salad would do the trick, too! It sure would taste a lot better! Perhaps your local pharmacist can give you a good recommendation.

We're sorry it happened to you. 'cuz you're just too nice, Musical! And I'll bet you'll be even nicer when the Puffer Fish look is gone, eh?

[MusicalMomma]

Thanks Jan & Nancy Now, this may sound strange, but I have never, in my life, eaten asparagus. Therefore, I don't even know how to prepare it. It sure looks yummy, by my parents didn't like it, so we never had it as kids. As an adult, I never really gave it much thought Could you give me some tips?

[Nancy]

Steam it, don't over cook it or it gets super limp, mushy and yucky! If you don't have a steamer basket, nuking is fine, too but again, WARNING: don't overcook. It's hard to describe how long to steam it as it depends upon how thick the stalks are - I prefer slender ones. Ask the grocer guy to help you select some and show you how to 'snap' off the woody ends (which you discard). It takes just a few minutes to steam. A FEW! I love it cold in a sald or right outta the steamer basket! I love it with grilled chicken or salmon.

Buy fresh - first choice, frozen second choice. Canned has sodium and you don't need that right now!

Trader Joe's has some nice slender stalks in their freezer case and it is really good!

[Nancy]

Yup, they must be slender stalks or it's tough and woody. I prefer stalks about the size of my Pinkie or Ring Man fingy. I love that grassy green vegetable stalk chilled, too - I snack on it all the time. It's gerat with tomatoes and fresh cracked pepper.

I love it pickled! Yummuh! Asparagus is the friend of my waist.

You are so right, Vicky - there is no 'sortta' liking it, it's all or none. The Husband: No Way!

[Dayna]

Mmmmm . . . asparagus . . . we just had some last night. There are several ways I like to prepare it. Last night, I chopped it into pieces about an inch long and sauteed it (we have an oil sprayer for olive oil, so I use a light spray of olive oil instead of Pam) with mushrooms and a little garlic. First, I browned the mushrooms and the garlic for about 5 minutes, then I dumped in the asparagus and covered it so it would steam (can't remember how long that was). Then I took off the lid, turned up the heat, added a splash of soy sauce, and sauteed until the liquid was mostly gone. It's hard to get my hubby to eat his vegetables, but last night they were the first thing gone on his plate! In the past, I would have ended up using a bunch of butter, or enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, and I was surprised by how much more I enjoyed the flavor without all the extra fat.

With steamed asparagus, a really good way to dress it is with salt and pepper, and a splash of either lemon juice (just a splash, because it does have carbs) or basalmic vinegar.

A brief warning, though: asparagus can make your urine smell funny. So don't panic if, after eating it, a very strange smell comes wafting from the toilet. It's normal, and it will go away quickly.

Happy asparagussing!

- Dayna

[Dayna]

An addendum to the basalmic vinegar suggestion: I just saw another post (in the maintenance room) about the high calorie content of many basalmic vinegars. Well, the stuff I've got in my cupboard has 10 calories and 2 carbs (it is made from grapes, after all) in 1 TBSP, so I would be comfortable using a splash (we're talking maybe a tsp) on my veggies, but some of you may not. However, if you go looking for some basalmic vinegar, make sure you look at the nutrition facts, because it sounded like (from what the others were saying in that post) basalmic vinegars can vary pretty widely in their carb/calorie content.

Hope this helps.

- Dayna

[MusicalMomma]

Trader Joe's has some nice slender stalks in their freezer case and it is really good!

Ahhhhh Trader Joes....How I miss my Trader Joes!!!!! There is no Trader's in all of Wisconsin...I went to T.J.'s weekly back in Delaware. They are a WONDERFUL store.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I especially like the sound of the mushroom asparagus stir fry! Yumm... I'll get some asparagus and let you know how I make out

[Nancy]

Dayna ~

I'll have to try the 'sparagus that way. I like it grilled (on the barby or in the oven broiler) with Zukes, too.

That's just about the way I do green beans around here and I add some fresh ginger to the garlic sautee and sometimes a green onion, too. My husband will actually eat a green bean that way once every three months, maybe...If there are any left-overs, they are great cold!